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was a legendary ninja
Ninja

In history of Japan, a is a warrior specially trained in a variety of unorthodox arts of war. These include assassination, espionage, and various martial arts....
 warrior and bandit hero who stole gold and valuables and gave them to the poor. There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and thus he has become a folk hero, whose background and origins have been widely speculated upon. He is notable for being boiled alive after a failed assassination attempt on Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
. A large iron kettle-shaped bathtub is now called a Goemon-buro (Goemon-bath).

In one version of the story, Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife and capture of his son, Gobei.






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was a legendary ninja
Ninja

In history of Japan, a is a warrior specially trained in a variety of unorthodox arts of war. These include assassination, espionage, and various martial arts....
 warrior and bandit hero who stole gold and valuables and gave them to the poor. There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and thus he has become a folk hero, whose background and origins have been widely speculated upon. He is notable for being boiled alive after a failed assassination attempt on Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
. A large iron kettle-shaped bathtub is now called a Goemon-buro (Goemon-bath).

In one version of the story, Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife and capture of his son, Gobei. He entered Hideyoshi's room but knocked a bell off a table. The noise awoke the samurai guards and he was captured. He was sentenced to death by being boiled alive in an iron cauldron along with his young son, but was able to save his son by holding him above the oil.

In another version, Goemon wanted to kill Hideyoshi because he was a despot
Despotism

Despotism is a form of government by a single authority, either an autocracy or oligarchy, which rules with absolute political power. In its classical form, a despotism is a state where a single individual wields all the power and authority embodying the state, and everyone else is a subsidiary person....
. When he entered Hideyoshi's room, he was detected by a mystical incense burner. He was executed on August 24 along with his whole family by being boiled in oil.

In yet a third version, Goemon stole a prized songbird of Hideyoshi's, but the bird sang. His whole family was executed, but Gobei was saved by Goemon.

In culture

See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture
People of the Sengoku period in popular culture

Many significant Japanese historical people of the Sengoku period appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games....
.

See also

  • Nezumi Kozo
    Nezumi Kozo

    Nezumi Kozo was the nickname of one Jirokichi , a Japanese people thief and folk hero who lived in Edo during the Edo period....
  • Robin Hood
    Robin Hood

    Robin Hood is an archetype figure in English folklore, whose story originates from Middle Ages times but who remains significant in popular culture where he is known for robbing the rich to give to the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny....